Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



Feb 6, 2019
This week’s theme
Words made with combining forms

This week’s words
mycology
ailurophile
orogeny
epigeal
nidifugous

orogeny
Oreogeny

Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

orogeny

PRONUNCIATION:
(o-RAH-juh-nee)

MEANING:
noun: Folding and faulting of the earth’s crust resulting in mountain formation.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek oro- (mountain) + -geny (formation). Earliest documented use: 1890.

USAGE:
“The burden of too much time was as profound as orogeny: it subjected his ordinary mind to pressures akin to those which caused earthquakes; tectonic shifts.”
Stephen R. Donaldson; Against All Things Ending; Putnam; 2010.

See more usage examples of orogeny in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The tragedy in the lives of most of us is that we go through life walking down a high-walled lane with people of our own kind, the same economic situation, the same national background and education and religious outlook. And beyond those walls, all humanity lies, unknown and unseen, and untouched by our restricted and impoverished lives. -Florence Luscomb, architect and suffragist (6 Feb 1887-1985)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith